Outcomes to Seek When Building Workplace Relationships

Managers make relationships with the people in their team for a number of reasons. There is, however only one bottom line purpose for any of the activities that managers get involved in - and that's to deliver the outcomes that are required of them.
Relationships are the facilitator of success and there are real and vital reasons for this. Working with a team of people opens up the scope of possibilities for managers, such that there is leverage in the simple numbers, as well as varied inputs from the different characters there.

When relationships are built based on trust, honesty and shared purpose, there are many simple outcomes that will lead to that end goal being delivered.

Such relationships are easy to create when you ensure that you spend at least some part of your day in easy conversations with your people. Once that's in place, between you will find you are much more able to deliver:-

• Openness - ensuring that each side is prepared to let the other in

• Volume - the numbers onside will help to share the load

• Creativity - from openness comes the ability to 'think out loud'

• Synergy - sharing ideas enables each to build on the other enabling more productive outcomes

• Commitment - through the bonding that comes with trust and honesty

• Morale - built through all working together in an open environment

• Motivation - comes from being heard, fundamental in all good workplace relationships

• Support - because they are open, they ask for help more

• Drive - when people feel a full part and valued, they contribute more to the bigger goal

• Understanding - knowing each other well, means there is focus on common expectations

• Communication - always works better when there is a great relationship

There may be more of these in particular locations like yours and if the relationship is good, you will have a clear route to get to know them better yourself.

Remember, the resulting value of these small outcomes of great relationships is much, much bigger than a simple sum of the parts. Yet whilst we might look for and even actively seek much more, each component needs to be in place to enable the whole to be that bigger benefit.

The base of good interactions between managers and employees has to come from the manager themselves in the behaviors they show.

Taking the time to ensure this is a strong element of your management toolkit is an investment worth making and over time, be assured that little effort will be needed to keep the plates spinning.